Community R-6 in position to defeat Knox County 8-3

Community R-6 put runners in scoring position and then brought them home on Thursday.

The Lady Trojans scored four runs via passed ball or wild pitch to defeat Knox County 8-3 in the first round of the Class 1 District 4 tournament at Community R-6 in Laddonia. State No. 7 Community (20-11) defeated Knox County (3-16) for the first time ever and secured its second straight 20-win season with the victory.

The first Community run scored on a wild pitch in the second ining before a Myla Carroll RBI double and then the Lady Trojans found plenty of insurance to widen a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the fourth inning. Lydia Hoyt hit a leadoff double in the fourth before the next four batters reached via free passes (walk or hit by pitch). Three runs crossed via wild pitch or passed ball in that inning.

Carroll finished 1-for-1 with three runs and two walks, Amy McCurdy was 2-for-4, and Jocelyn Curtis fired seven innings with 10 strikeouts, four hits, three walks and one earned run.

The No. 2 seed Community faces either No. 3 seed North Shelby (14-7) or No. 6 Canton (12-14) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Paris walks off with 13-3 victory over Marion County

Paris showed it was the top seed early in Thursday's victory.

The Lady Coyotes began their Class 1 District 4 tournament run with a 13-3 victory in six innings over Marion County. An infield error by Marion County allowed the mercy-rule-triggering run to score in the sixth inning. Marion County (6-13) finished with five errors, and Paris (20-6) had 12 hits.

After the first innings, Paris owned an 8-2 lead thanks largely to a six-run second inning. Kennedy Ashenfelter cleared the bases with a double to start the Lady Coyotes' scoring in the second and was followed by run-scoring hits by Sophia Crusha and Knightlee Mitten. Ashenfelter led the offense by going 2-for-4 with four RBI, Sophia Crusha followed by going 3-for-4 with two RBI and Mitten was 2-for-4 with one RBI. 

Ashenfelter pitched all six innings with nine strikeouts, two hits, one walk and one earned run. Marion County's Kennedy Hathaway accounted for nine of 10 Paris strikeouts in her five innings pitched but still surrendered 12 hits.

Paris faces Clopton (13-10) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Van-Far eliminated after Valley Park pulls away 10-6

Van-Far stayed close in its district game on Thursday until it slipped away.

The Lady Indians were eliminated in the first round of the Class 2 District 2 tournament at Mongomery County following a 10-6 loss to Valley Park. In Van-Far's first ever meeting with Valley Park (8-12-1), the Lady Indians trailed 7-5 before Valley Park tacked on three runs in the sixth inning.

Four of senior Dalana Gay's 10 runs allowed were earned as Van-Far committed three errors, and Valley Park's three errors gave way to four unearned runs. Gay allowed 13 hits, walked seven, amd struck out four.

Elliott Utterback finished 2-for-3 with one RBI, Kaelyn Hutcheson had a RBI single in the fourth inning, Kenya Jones had one RBI, and Reeve Woodall scored two runs and walked twice. 

Two Valley Park runs scored via an outfield error in the sixth inning.

Van-Far finishes this season with a 4-19 record.